Be careful with car stealers they may advertise $225.00 but when they open it up and they tell you it needs one of these and 2 of those and..... your bill will go way up. most of them are not so honest as we all know.

Be careful with car stealers they may advertise $225.00 but when they open it up and they tell you it needs one of these and 2 of those and..... your bill will go way up. most of them are not so honest as we all know.

Sure, telling customers what their car really needs is a dishonest practice?

The coupon clearly states to see the dealer for other important details; anyone who is remotely familiar with a timing belt system will know that a complete service will often require more than just the belt. And don't tell me that this is a bait and switch -- if you are not an educated consumer, that's your own darn fault.

You have a serious, unwarranted bias against dealerships. What makes independent shops so great anyway? They lack the continual factory training, availability of tech line for assistance and are unable to provide the service experience that most discerning clients expect. The dealership is almost always the most consistent, safest choice for a quality repair using the proper parts.

Critic - I rarely do this, but wow that is one heck of a good post. Especially the part about being an educated consumer.

If I wanted to buy a fancy $1,000 watch tomorrow, then I would call up one of my buddies that might know a thing or two about watches...because I know NOTHING about them, except that they tell time. Likewise if one of them called me up and said why is my car making this noise, I would tell them to bring it over. It is not anyones (dealers) fault if a consumer doesn't know anything about cars and "feels misled" or "ripped off".

+1 for The Critic; Dealership did the TB on my friends V8 Tundra for much less than an independent shop. With an engine with so little production @ the time, I didn't want someone with little or no documentation/experience "in there"

Belt itself isn't difficult at all. BUT I would seals and pump if it was never done before. Add the belts as well. Careful with the PWR Str belt, mine always seems to slip a bit and loosen on me.

If I just got mine at 185k I would do plugs, wires, cap, fuel filter, PCV and then the timing belt and other belts with seals and pump also. These aren't expensive or difficult. End it with a radiator drain refill (distilled water of course) and ride her for a while.

I would keep a valve cover gasket handy (cheap) as they are know to leak out after a while. Easiest gasket ever to fix!!